The Price of Power (Eng)
by ADD-DanyXD
Summary: AU in which Fiore and Remnant are located in the same planet/universe (Let's say from now that Remnant and Earthland are continents). Hunters and Mages live together, yet apart. Mages were blessed with incredible and powerful magic while Hunters are capable of using Semablance, Aura and Dust Sorry for any grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.
1. In All My Dreams I Drown

The smile of the black haired man who was sitting on the silver and ebony chair disappeared at the moment in which his black eyes focused on the translucent sphere in front of him, there it shown a little girl, no more than five years, lying in her bed, sweating and panting, her black hair that faded gray, like the leftover ashes from a fireplace, was messy and tangled while her eyes, of a glowing yellowish-orange, where filled with streaming tears.

The young looking man showed disliking at the sight in front of him. Hurried, he rose from his seat and walked into the halls of the sumptuous-looking mansion, filled with luxurious rugs and tapestries. Reaching the last door, he opened it to reveal a small, messy room, with poor lighting and an old but strong-looking man; his silvery-white hair reached his mid back, the Lacrima in front of him lit his face, revealing the existence of just one dark green eye while the other one was covered by an eye patch.

The young man approached him and fixed his gaze on the Lacrima next to the man just to confirm that, indeed, it also showed the same little girl from before, looking more disturbed than moments ago.

"Hades, can you explain to me what's wrong with her?" demanded the man. His stare was calm yet cold at the same time. "It has been a month and this keeps happening."

Hades had his gaze glued to the Lacrima in front of him, his eye thoughtful, as if he was trying to solve a mystery.

"Her body has reacted well to the Dust infusions" he said. "But she's still having those nightmares, it's just a side effect, it will fade away with time, you'll see."

"I don't have time to wait" replied the young man. "I need her to be in condition for her training."

"I don't know when it will stop, but I can assure you it will my Lord."

The man left out a frustrated grunt and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He followed the path through the hall until he reached the stairs, which were lighted with torches. He ran down them and soon he found the only door of the place, when he opened, he revealed a sober-looking room with a floor upholstered by books, and was welcomed by a little girl with eyes red and puffed, and her face was dirty with tears and what it looked to be ashes.

My Lord, what are you doing here?- the girl asked from her bed, trying to wipe her face as best as she could with the sleeve of her pajamas.

"It's past midnight and you're still awake" said the black haired man, unlike before, his gestures and voice where kinder and gentler-. Want to tell me what's going on?

-It's the nightmares again- answered the girl with a trembling voice-. It´s always the same dream.

The man walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, the girl bended her knees to make room for him.

-Want to tell me what these nightmares are about?

Her lower lip trembled, across her face was an expression of pure fear, alomst as if it hurt to remember the dream.

"I'm on a ship" she began. "It's a dark and stromy blue night, and the captain sends me to sleep, but I'm not tired and I tell him that as soon as we reach shore I would get some sleep but he get's mad at me" her voice started to tremble and her eyes began to fill with tears. "He yells at me and drags me by the hair, he takes me to his room and ties me up with sheets, and he tells me that he will not let me go until I learn to obey him" she managed to say. "I try to escape…but I always fail, then suddenly something hits the ship…and we began to sink, everyone escapes but me" with that, the girl broke into heartbreaking sobbs.

"Listen, non of that was real, it was just a dream" said the man, placing his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"But it felt so real! Every time I wake up my head hurts from where the captain pulled my hair" cried the girl.

"Nonsense" the man lifted her chin. "Look at me."

Amber and onyx clashed. The little girl´s eyes were filled with fear and tears, while the man's were cold and sharp, but oddly gentle.

"You are a special girl, you´re not like the others, you have the power to face your fears, don't let a bunch of nightmares win."

The girl looked at him with gratitude and managed to give him a small smile. The young man smiled back.

"That's better" he said. "Now back to sleep."

The little girl's smile disappeared in an instant.

"No please! I'm begging you! Don't make go to sleep!" cried the girl, desperate. "In all my dreams I drown! Please, Lord Zeref! Don´t make me!"

"Shhh…Shhh, there, there" he whispered, reaching for the girl's hair to stroke it, his hand was emitting a black-colored aura.

The girl felt how her eyelids began to get heavier and her vision was becoming blurry.

"No…please" she tried to beg, but the "sleepy" sensation was beating her conscience. "In all my dreams I…

And the girl fell unconscious.

"Good night Cinder Fall" whispered Zeref, smiling with malice.


	2. Hunter and Mage

_16 years later_

* * *

><p>Ruby was shaking with enthusiastic energy while squealing with delight. "Finally, it's time!" she thought. The girl squeezed the hem of her long red hood at the time that a blonde, regal-looking woman came up onto the stage; on her right hand was a riding crop while the left one was carrying a Scroll.<p>

"Very well students" she began, catching the attention of the youngsters of the place. "As you already know the traditional Tournament will be held within a month, the teams that will participate have already been selected…-the woman paused and adjusted her glasses which framed her green eyes. "However, that's not all I came to say." Professor Goodwitch's gaze acquire an even more serious tone.

"This ought to be good" whispered Yang Xiao Long into Ruby's ears.

The red hooded girl merely shrugged. _"Doesn't sound like it's something nice"_, she said to herself.

"This year, there have been some changes" continued Goodwitch. "The Hunters Council and the Kingdoms of Remnant had reached an agreement with the Magic Council of the Kingdom of Fiore" the muttering of the students soon became audible." And they agreed to combine The Tournament with the Grand Magic Games they held each year- then the auditorium was filled with incessant bustle. "Silence!

The students didn't think twice, the absolute silence was almost immediate. Glynda Goodwitch, with a tired look, left out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Why did they have to be children?" she thought with irritation. Suddenly a tanned hand rose from the sea of students, catching the teacher's attention.

"Yes? Yatsuhashi."

"Professor, why does the wizards want to get involved with us all of the sudden?" asked the young man with a deep voice.

"I was about to explain that" she answered. "The Councils believed that it was time for us both Mages and Hunters to start getting along with each other, and they saw the Tournament and the Games as the perfect opportunity. The Event will take place in Fiore's capital. Two teams from one school of each kingdom of Remnant will be sent to participate, in this case, Beacon has been chosen to represent Vale."

"That means eight of us will have the chance to teach those shitty mages who's boss?" Yang excitedly exclaimed, waving her fists in the air as if hitting a punching bag.

Ruby giggled and turned her attention back at the teacher on the stage.

"Very well then, let's move on with the choosen teams" Goodwitch tucked her riding crop under her arm and held the Scroll with both hands, the device projected four different pictures. "First we have…Team JNPR."

Ruby cocked her head to where the team was. The two female members, Nora and Pyrrha, wore smiles from ear to ear while Ren kept a cool expression. However their leader, Jaune, had a nervous and slightly green face.

The rest of the students whisperd things susch as; "Tlak about luck!", "Them against mages, so cool!", "I don't think there's a mage that can manage Pyrrha" or even "Good luck!", "Teach them some Vale hospitality!".

Glynda cleared her throat, making everyone to turn their heads again.

"And the last team that will participate will be… Team RWBY."

Ruby left out a scream of joy mixed with a burst o red petals, Yang was equally exited, her hair shining with a golden glow. Weiss, on the other hand, managed to keep her composure, merely waving her hands in excitement while her smile widened. Blake, with her amber eyes wide open as saucers as a result of the surprise, looked everything but exited.

Ruby could have stayed like this all day if it wasn't for the people's talking: "A child against the world's strongest wizards?, What´s Ozpin thinking?, "Xiao Long, Schnee and Belladonna are hardcore, but their leader seems kind of delicate", "Poor thing, that red-hooded girl is gonna get humiliated in front of everyone"

Ruby's smile vanished from her face, she was about to reply something if it wasn't for Glynda.

"Remember students, all of you will be representing Vale and since the wizards won't be like your regular opponents, I will ask all of you to do your best…and please be careful" the teacher's face was now full of worry. "That's enough for today students, you may leave.

The crowd of students left Little by Little until there was only the memebers of teams JNPR and RWBY.

"Isn't awesome Ren!? Us against wizards! What do you think they can do? Oh! I wonder if they can pull rabbits out of their hats! Or maybe weapons! Oh what about rabbits with weapons!?" squealed Nora, jumping around Ren, the boy still had his calm expression but send small smiles from time to time.

"Just think about it! Us kicking some magic asses!" Yang exclaimed.

"I'm looking forward to meet the competition, my magic knowledge it kind of limited, so I think some greetings before the Tournament would be great" said Weiss

"Wanna spy on them so you'll have the upper hand later?" asked Ruby

"Quiet, you!"

"Jaune? Are you okay?" asked Pyrrha to the blond.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?" he answered, holding his two thumbs up with shaky hands.

"It's just that you seem a little…not okay" corroborated Ruby

"I'm fine. Seriously!"

"And what about you Blake? You look like you're about to throw up" Yang asked to her partner.

Blake had her face covered by a curtain of black hair, but still Ruby noticed that she had gotten paler than usual and her amber eyes showed an almost neurotic concern, she also noticed her hands, which were slightly shaking.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry" Blake said in a hurry. "It's just that… you know" she pointed at the black bow on top of her head.

"Oh, right" Yang nodded. "Don't worry, I don't don't think someone will notice, and if they have something against it, I'm gonna stick a…

"Thanks! I think that's enough!" Wiess interrupted.

Despite what she said, Ruby couldn't help but notice that Blake still looked worried. _"I don't think that's what has her so worked up about"_ she tought.

"Well! We still have a month to train, if we start working those wizards won't know what hit'em!" Yang smirked.

"You're right sis!" said Ruby, pulling out Crescent Rose from her belt. "Fiore, get ready to welcome JNPR and RWBY!"


	3. About to Bloom

Just to clarify, everything from (RWBY) volume 1 did happened. I'll be using Fairy Tail's timeline (since RWBY doesn't have a specific year) so the year is X791

* * *

><p><em>1 month later<em>

* * *

><p>The summer sun shone delightfully while the breeze carried the various smells from the town: freshly baked bread, seasonal flowers and a hint of humidity. The streets where swarming with people, from sauntering elders to rambunctious children with pets running around the sidewalk.<p>

At the entrance of a store, climbed on wooden ladder, there was an elder looking man; he was trying to lift his arms as much as he could in order to hang a sign on top of the local, announcing "Authentic Rarities and Antiques".

The man was about to fulfill its mission, but a strong impact against the ladder on which he was standing caused him to lose his balance and so he fell to the ground with a thud. The man raised his head to see who the cause of the commotion was.

"'Scuse me, sorry," a female voice apologized.

The girl looked to be about eighteen at most, she had dark skin, her chin-length straight hair was green mint in color and her big round eyes glowed in a crimson red. Her attire, according to the man, was strange; it consisted of an intricate white top that exposed her flat belly, along with white shorts with chaps. Nothing like what he had seen before.

The girl noticed the man's stares. She extended her hand to him, the man, still reeling from the fall and appearance of the girl accepted with a trembling hand and stood up from the ground.

"I'm not really from around here. Would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?" the girl asked, holding out a piece of paper with a scribbled address.

Her accent was also weird, but the man didn't bother to ask. Since he knew how to get to the store, he kindly motioned the girl. She mumbled a "Thank you" and waved good-bye, and it wasn't until she turned that the man realized that she was carrying around what appeared to be a large set of pistols on her belt.

Emerald made her way walking on the sidewalk while admiring the landscape. Peaceful days like those were one of the small pleasures in life that she allowed herself to enjoy.

"I knew you were lost," a male voice came out of nowhere.

She turned to find a guy, arms crossed, leaning against the wall of an alley. His silvery gray hair was messy in a "bed-head" style and his lips where widened with a pretentious smile. The girl approached him with an irritated gesture and looked him straight into his grey eyes.

"Mercury I will seriously pay you to shut up," she said, waving a leather wallet in his face.

"That's not your money"

"But it could be your for five minutes of silence," she tempted.

Mercury made a gesture as if he was seriously thinking it, but he quickly dismissed it.

"Mmmmm….no deal"

"Fine," Emerald hissed, in an angry gesture she took the bills out for herself and threw the wallet to the guy's face as she stormed off.

"Whatever. You want me," whispered Mercury, walking by her side. "And anyways, how many Jewels are worth a Lien?"

"Being honest with you I don't know, now hurry up we need to walk."

Both youngsters began to move, eyeing the town while they walked. They passed through various stalls, shops and of course, people. Emerald seemed very happy with a drastic change of scenery such as that one. Mercury on the other hand...

"So, how much further?" he asked ask, irritated.

"A few blocks," replied the girl.

"Ugh ... this place is so dull."

"Eh, I kinda like it. Tall buildings, diverse culture ..."

"And nice dopey people who are easy to pickpoket."

Emerald stopped on her tracks, placed her hands on her hips and smirked.

"That's every city," she said.

Mercury moved in front of her and with an exaggerated "scared" look on his face, he shook his hands and said in a squeaky voice:

"Oh Emerald! Master thief! Please don't take my money! I barely have enough to get by!"

Emerald gave him a scowl and walked away.

"Ugh ... you're no fun today," Mercury groaned, following her.

The pair soon found themselves in front of a small cozy-looking shop, the sign on the top read; "Tukson's Book Trade", and the showcased implied that it was, indeed, a bookstore, from the outside they saw many of the neat and well organized rows and shelves filled with books and magazines in a wide range of sizes and colors on the inside of the store. Although they did not saw any kind of dependent or employee, a small sign on the door indicated that the place was indeed open.

Emerald and Mercury entered the place, it was small but well lit, and the smell of books tickled their noses and a slight humming sound catched Emerald's attention. Mercury stood on a shelf near the front; she went closer to where the voice came. The girl approached the counter near the back door, and ringed the service bell.

"Be right there!" shouted a voice on the other side. From the door came out a man carrying a tall stack of books that hid his face "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade! Home of every book under the sun, how may I..."

The man stopped, after lowering the books on a nearby shelf, he turned to looked at the customers and let out a gasp, his face went from being a friendly smile to a slightly worried expression, it didn't took long for the man to realize who they were.

"How may I help you?" he asked again, this time without hesitation and keeping his composure as best as he could.

"Just browsing" even though Mercury was holding an open book his gaze was fixed on the man. After shutting the book abruptly, the sound echoed throughout the room.

"Actually I was wondering, do you have any copies of "The Thief and The Butcher?" Emerald asked innocently.

"Yes we do" the man replied calmly.

"That´s great" the girl said excitedly.

"Would you ... like a copy?"

"No, just wondering" replied Emerald while Mercury reached for another book "Oh, oh! What about "Violet's Garden"? In paperback?"

"He's got it. Hardback too." shouted Mercury, waving the book for Emerald to see it.

"Ooh, options are nice.

"Eh, no pictures" Mercury closed the book and asked Tukson "Hey! Do you have any comics?

"Near the font" motioned Tukson.

"Oh, no, wait!" Emerald eyes turned sharp. "What…about ... "The Third Crusade"?

"Um ... I ..." her gaze was poisonous. The man, now more visibly nervous, felt sudden chills down his spine; his forehead was beaded with cold sweat. "...don't believe we carry that one."

"Oh" Said the gray haired boy, closing another book.

"What was this place called again?" asked the girl with a serious expression.

"Tukson's Book Trade" replied the man quietly.

"And you're Tukson?"

"That's right."

"So you're then I take it that you're the one that came up whit the catchphrase?

"Yes"

"And, what was it again?" wondered an annoyed Mercury.

"Tukson's Book Trade", home of every book under the sun."

"Except "The Third Crusade" Emerald replied coldly

"It's just a catchphrase ..."

"It's false advertising" Mercury said as he approached to the switch panelnear the front door.

Emerald was staring at Tukson.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep Tukson" Mercury pulled the switches, and in a few seconds the store was in complete darkness, the boy smiled creepily at Tukson. "And to think that we had to track you down to Fiore, your brothers of White Fang won't be very happy to hear that. And neither are we... You know who we are, don't you?

"Yes" Tukson answered dryly.

"And you know why we're here?

"Yes"

"So ... are you going to fight back?"

"Yes!" Tukson shouted, from his fingernails emerged a sharp set of claws, ready to tear and slay. Tukson leaped up to the desk, a growl gushed from his throat in a threatening manner.

Mercury and Emerald backed up with caution. Tukson focused his attention on the girl and in one fluid motion he leaped towards her, claws ready to dig into her neck. But the girl, being faster than him, managed to dodge the attack, giving the opportunity for Mercury to deliver a strong kick to Tukson's face with his heavy boots. The last thing the man heard was the sound of a gunshot. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Emerald exited the store followed by Mercury. She flexed her arms in exhaustion and noticed that the boy carried a copy of what appeared to be a comic.<p>

"What's with that?" wondered Emerald.

"I like the pictures" the boy replied casually.

* * *

><p>A pale hand gently stroke the yellowed pages of a leather book whose content varied between words and sketches, the most noticeable being pencil drawings of what appeared to be a menacing looking dragon with two small silhouettes at his side, and on the left corner there was the portrait of a young boy, his hair falling over his face, covering the right side of his face, on his lips there was an almost undetectable smile.<p>

"Whatcha doing?" Yang hummed. Blake winced and closed the book quickly, preventing your partner to see.

"Nothing" Blake cried in surprise. "Just going over notes from last semester."

"Lame" That blonde said with a mouthful of grapes that Nora had just tossed from the other side of the table at the cafeteria.

Blake sighed; she could not help but think that in less than a week she would meet again with "him".

* * *

><p>The smell of dust and cigarette were not exactly Emerald's favorites, but she was no one to question the choices that "she" made regarding the location and staff.<p>

The abandoned warehouse filled its purpose as a hideout. The people in Crocus were really stupid for not realizing that several ships had passed through the "Blooming Capital's" airspace and now they were hiding not so far from the crowded places, like the King's castle. All thanks to the latest technology in camouflage and stealth and the semblance of one of the Roman's allies.

Mercury and Emerald walked in the already familiar storehouse/den where members of the White Fang were moving fresh cargo from Vale. Men and women with horns, tails, paws and ears of every kind of animal in existence were either arguing or moving boxes full of weapons and Dust all over the place.

The youngsters came up to where a figure dressed in a white coat and a hat was leaning on a walking stick, his gaze was fixed on a map with notes and figures scribbled everywhere.

The man turned around, revealing his face, his right eye covered with a pumpkin-colored bangs, his uncovered left eye was deep green and was framed by thick lashes, he fixed his gaze on the "kids" in front of him and his lips widened into an amused smile.

"Oh, look! She sent the kids again!," he exclaimed in a jovial manner while he approached them and surrounded they're shoulders with his arms to push them into an awkward hug. "This is turning out just like the divorce!"

"Ugh!" Emerald shivered in disgust. "Spare us the thought of you procreating."

Emerald and Mercury freed themselves from Roman's grip.

"That was a joke. And this ..." - The redhead lifted a gloved hand, revealing a piece of paper that Emerald recognized immediately."... just may tell me where you two have been all day.

"What?" The girl cried, angry and confused, she checked her pocket, and it was indeed empty. "Agh ..."

"I am a professional sweetheart. Pay attention, maybe you'll learn something" Roman teased. "Why do you have this address?

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah, I would. Now where have you been all day?"

"Cleaning up your problems" Mercury crossed his arms "At least one of them."

"I had that under control" Roman clarified, not as confident as he would have liked it to sound.

"Two packed bags and a ticket to Vale said otherwise" the boy said sarcastically.

"Listen, you little punk" The redhead began, raising his cane in a threatening manner. "If it were up to me, then I would take you and your little street rat friend here and…"

"Do what, Roman?"

The three people looked up at the source of the voice. On top of a pallet appeared an undoubtedly beautiful young woman, probably about twenty-something. Her black hair was faded from coal black to an ash gray tone, her delicate almond eyes were the exact same color of the sizzling coals of a campfire, and her fair skin was perfect and flawless. The woman was wearing a tight red dress with intricate patterns that reached her mid-thigh, revealing black shorts underneath. Her feet wore dark glass slippers that rattled like bells at every step. The woman walked into the movable part of the platform with elegant steps, slowly descending to the ground.

"Uh ... Don't kill them" he responded nervously.

"Cinder!" Emerald squealed excitedly.

"I thought I made it clear that you would eliminate the would-be runaway." Cinder looked at Roman with tired yet menacing eyes.

"I was going to ..."

"He was going to escape to Vale," Emerald angrily shouted. "Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves and kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat, actually," Mercury said jokingly.

"What? Like a puma?"

"Yeah, there you go."

"Quiet," ordered the woman. "Did I not specifically instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale?"

"I just thought ..."

Don't think ... obey" finished Cinder.

"Yes ma'am, " Emerald bowed her head as an apology. "It won't happen again."

"And you." Cinder said turning to Roman. "Why wasn't this job done sooner?

-¿Uh ... Huh ... Huh ... Ehhhh -?! Shouting progressively while pointing at the whole place with his cane. "Sorry if I've been busy stealing every speck of Dust and Lacrima in the kindom."

"You are an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask," scoffed Mercury. Emerald chuckled in agreement.

"Look around, kid. I've got this town running scared! Police camping out at every corner, the Magic Council confused, Dust prices through the roof, and we´re sitting pretty on an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials and rounds than we know what to do with!" Roman's detonated superiority and caution. "Speaking of which, if you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your master plan, it might make my next string of robberies go a little smoother!"

Cinder approached Roman in a gracefully and fluid motion until she was face to face with the redhead.

Oh, Roman. Have a little faith," her voice was like poisoned honey, her silky smooth hand stroke the man's cheek who found himself to be in some sort of trance once he looking directly into the gleaming eyes of the woman. "You'll know what you need when you need to know."

Roman turned his head with a grunt.

"Besides, we're done with Dust." added Cider.

"O-okay, then what now?"

"Cinder - Interrupted Mercury, a member of the White Fang with a pair of horns on top of his head was next to him, fresh from delivering a message to the boy."He" wants to talk to you; he's waiting outside."

Cinder's eyes widened, slightly surprised. She turned to Roman once more.

"We're moving. Have the White Fang clear this building. I'll send you details and coordinated tonight," said the woman walking away, Mercury Emerald following behind her.

"Coordinates?"

"We're proceeding to phase two, he doesn't like to wait."

Roman let out a weary sigh and pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, then reached into the other in order to find his lighter, but to his surprise it wasn't there. He found it strange since he never ...

Roman raised his gaze only to discover Emerald holding the small silver object and with total deliberation she stuck out her tongue in childish gesture, as if saying "I win."

Roman cursed under his breath.


	4. I Bet my Life

19 years ago

* * *

><p>"<em>You gotta be fucking kidding me" Qrow thought.<em>

He stood at less than two meters from his house but from a couple miles ago he started to sense someone else's Aura, and a very familiar one to top it all off. The young man took a deep breath before stepping into the little hut that acted as a temporary home. As usual, a small dimly lit room filled with various antique-looking objects greeted him back as always. Qrow didn't even flinch when he found a figure sitting in his battered leather couch.

"Go to hell" Qrow said with bitterness. Even though the figure was mantled in shadows he knew who it was.

"That's how you greet your professor?" the man chuckled. "And to think I taught you better"

"First of all is "Ex-professor" the young man clarified with an irritated tone. "And second, I don't even remember inviting you…Ozpin"

The man stood up, grabbing wht appeared to be a walking stick that lay beside him to lean on while he moved around the small living room. As he approached the only source of light available his features became more recognizable; gray hair, bleached by age, golden brown eyes, framed by thin glasses, and a serious yet calm expression.

"Does a teacher can't visit his favorite student?" Qrow gave him scowl. Ozpin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry…Ex-student"

Qrow rolled his eyes and approached a threadbare wood shelve, he reached the loose knob of the top cabinet pulled out a glass bottle filled with amber liquid and two small glasses, dirtier than what Qrow would have liked. The young man poured the bottle's content into one of the glasses and handed it to the Ozpin. He rejected it with a hand gesture.

"Isn't it a little early?" asked Ozpin.

Qrow shrugged and took the glass to his lips, emptying it with one big gulp, he let his face twist in a grimace due to the bitter taste of the liquor. He turned himself around to fill his glass again.

"Well, now that you're here…" Qroe began, leaning against the wood counter while taking sip after sip of his drink. "…tell me what do you want from me"

Ozpin didn't answer, instead he pulled out a crumbled paper form his black coat and extended it to Qrow. The young man raised a brow, took another sip of his drink and snatched the paper abruptly from Ozpin's hands.

Qrow gave it a glance; three different names, three different photos of three different babies, and three different "Relocation" coordinates that he doubted, where from Remnant.

"What's all this?" he wondered, though he already had a slight suspicious of what it was.

"I need you to do the same as five years ago"

The answer took him by surprise, so much that he started to choke on his drink.

"You're *cuff, cuff* fucking *cuff, cuff* insane!" he shouted while trying to breathe. "Do you want me to get killed!?

"I know I'm asking too much, but you are the one who wants to make it up to them. And what better way than to bring those who can learn from them and pass its legacy to us humans?" Qrow said in monotonous voice. "Besides, those kids are orphans; at the end they will have someone to look out for them. Everyone wins."

Qrow laughed bitterly. He crumbled the paper and toss it to the man´s face but he caught it in mid-air with a quick reflex.

"Who are you trying to fool Ozpin?" he spat. "You only want more Dragon Slayers. You give zero fucks about my redemption and those kids.

Ozpin frowned.

"You know what will happen. He's gathering his pawns"

"I know!" continued Qrow. "But his pawns won't be dragons, they will be demons. Why not train Devil Slayers or God Slayers? Or Hunters capable of killing demons?"

In a quick angry motion, the young man tried to refill his glass, this time he spilled tick drops of liquor in the mahogany surface. Qrow rubbed his temples and took the glass with shaky hands.

"Is not as easy as it look" Ozpin voice sounded almost comforting, like a father talking to his son. "We must work with what we have, and that happens to be dragons."

"Dragons die easily," Qrow's vision began to blur, but he didn't care. He took the glass to his lips once again.

"Not all of them" Ozpin replied.

The young man's hand began to tense around the glass at the point where thick silvery cracks began to appear, angry he leaved the glass back into the cabinet and pulled another one, when he was about to pour the liquor the tip of a cane landed on the edge of the glass, as if it was telling him to stop. Qrow's gaze was glued to the floor.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked in a rough voice. "I said I will solve my problems with "them" myself, you don't have to interfere. The blood is on my hands"

"I am the one that turned you into a weapon after all" Ozpin said, lowering his cane. "And I wont forgive myself for that either"

"I know "they" wont forgive me for what I did"

"It will take time but I assure you it won't be impossible" Ozpin smoothed the paper and handed it to Qrow once more. The young man read it, this time with more care.

**Name: **Wendy Marvell

**Birth: **X772

**Native: **Caelum, Western shores, Earth Land

**Potential: **Mage

**Relocation: **Fiore

**Name: **Rogue Cheney

**Birth:** X772

**Native: **Seven, Northeast, Earth Land

**Potential: **Mage

**Relocation: **Fiore

**Name: **Sting Eucliffe

**Birth: **X772

**Native: **Vytal, Vale, Remnant

**Potential: **Mage, Hunter

**Relocation: **Fiore

Qrow studied the last child, in the photo it was implied that he had at least three months. Something in those intense blue eyes seemed familiar, almost as if he already knew him…

"The last kid, the one that was born in here. Why do you want to take him to Fiore?"

"As you see, he has the potential to become a mage just like his father."

"But he was born in Vale. Why not find him a surrogate family so he can become a Huntsmen?" Qrow insisted. "Are you that afraid of running short on strong pawns?"

"Better be safe than sorry"

"Look at you!" Qrow spat. "You sound just like Ironwood!"

"Ironwood would bring a fleet of airships and an army of androids with him," he said. "I believe in quality rather than quantity"

"Okay now answer. Why does the kid looks familiar?" Qrow wanted to leave the doubt out of his head.

"Not surprising, you just meet him a few weeks ago" Ozpin replied in a calm voice.

Qrow's eyes widened in surprise, the only baby he remembered to have meet was…

"Taiyang's nephew!?" he realized. A few weeks ago, when he paid a visit to Taiyang and Raven's house, he also found a young couple, Taiyang´s cousin and her husband along with a baby boy wrapped in a white blanket. Qrow recognized her from Beacon, he knew that she had married a mage, but he didn't knew that she was Taiyang's relative until that day. And to think that she left a son…

"What happened to his parents?" Qrow asked.

"Both were KIA"

"Does Taiyang know that…

"He doesn't need to know everything" Ozpins voice was like cold water to him.

"You're fucking sick! That child deserves a family not to be turned into your personal slave!" Qrow was furious, Ozpin had crossed the line.

"Taiyang, Raven, Summer…

"What are you saying?" asked a confused Qrow.

"What if something happened to the people you care for the most?"

"Is that a thread?" Qrow asked with caution.

"Just answer" Ozpin demanded.

Qrow sighed, being a Huntsman he knew that life could be very short. Losing your loved ones was nothing more than an occupational hazard. But as much as they could teach you to wield a weapon, use your semblance or your aura, nothing could prepare you for the loss of a very important someone.

"Well…I wouldn't forget it." His voice was shaky an uneasy. _Where is he going with this?_ He thought. "It would follow me to the grave, that's for sure"

"That's what I want to avoid" Ozpin said, fixing his gaze into the youns man's. "I´ve heard that Taiyang and Raven want to start a family. Are you willing to risk thing like that? Wouldn't you do anything in your power to protect them?"

"Don't be stupid, of course I will"

"Then you know what you need to do" Ozpin pointed at the paper. "Find three dragons willing to adopt them"

"Last time I did it Igneel almost chops my legs off, and Metalicana almost kills me and the child." Qrow reminded him. "I´m betting my life if you want me to find three dragons, let along talk to them."

"You'll do fine, I trust you," Ozpin patted him in the shoulder. "The Hunters that are currently taking care of the children will guide your throughout the area."

The elder man began to walk towards the door.

"They were friends" Qrow muttered, loud enough to be heard by Ozpin. "Igneel was friends with Crescent Rose and Ember Celica. Metalicana was friends with Gambol Shroud. That's why they attacked me; they recognize the one that killed their friends."

"Friends," the world rolled on Qrow's tongue with a weird taste, as if he was not used to it. Growing up it was him and his sister Raven. They grew even closer after the death of their parents, he loved his sister dearly, but besides Raven there was no one else in Qrow's life. It was until he entered Beacon that he met the ones whoe became his best friends and comrades: Taiynag Xiao Long, a thrill seeker with a heart of gold, and Summer Rose, the perfect combination between gentleness and deathliness. He couldn't bring himself to imagine something terrible happening to them, if someone like "Past Qrow" showed up again. Someone capable of killing living beings in cold blood just because "he could".

"Having power and learning to use it are two different things" Ozpin's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "You decided to do what you did. I know you regret it, but you need to cope up with the fault. You decided to use your power to…eliminate those you believed where the ones who killed your parents.

CLASH!

Ozpin didn't turned around, hearing the sound of glass shattering against the wall was enough for him to know that the projectile was meant for him and enough to know that Qrow had failed on purpose.

"I was young and stupid!" Qrow shouted, his voice sounded as solid as the glass shards on the floor. "There hasn't been a day where I don't regret doing what I did"

Qrow rubbed his hands on his hair. Frustrated with himself, angry at Ozpin, concerned about the children…

"I wanted them to pay…every single dragon…I thought they were all like "him"…I spend so many years killing the innocent while the guilty was out there running wild."

"I know very well how you feel" Ozpin's tone was severe. "That's why I´m trying to help you…we want you to get back in track."

"Listen I know what you're trying to do and I really appreciate it" Qrow left out a sigh. "But the lives of those dragons are in my conscience, and I don't think any of this will help me, it just doen't feel right" "Besides, you know too well that those dragons are not gonna stay much longer, those kids are gonna end up alone again. Do you honestly believe those children can win a war by themselves?"

"I hope they never have to" Ozpin's voice was at neutral almost impossible point to tell if he was angry, disappointed, sad…

Qrow saw how the gray haired man walked towards the exit. He could see how Ozpin kept staring at the side of the door, leaning against the door there was a scythe. Easily seven feet tall, its frame was completely pitch black, and the blade looked incredibly sharp, even for the naked eye. Since Ozpin have never seen it before, he assumed it was a new one that replaced the red/black framed old scythe that he was used to see on Qrow's mission almost five years ago. Ozpin fixed his gaze into the young man and asked:

"What happened to Grimm Reaper*?"

"It broke a long ago" he answered dryly.

"What is it made of?" Ozpin asked, gesturing towards the new scythe.

"Claw"

"How is it called?" even though it was the first time seeing it, he already knew the name.

The hunters were well-known for following the oldest traditions known to mankind. One of them was the creation of weapons made out of the strongest creatures in the planet. Sure, the Grimm where formidable foes, but they didn't stay for long in this world once death, since their bodies evaporate, making weapons out of them was an impossible task. Dragons on the other hand where a completely different story. Since in these times there was barely any dragon left, Hunters often found themselves in journeys to find a dragon skeleton, thus creating weapons out of bones or claws. And as a way of honoring the fallen beasts that gave them the tools for war it was tradition to named their weapons after the dragons they were made from. Qrow's old scythe was made from the bone of a dragon called Grimm Reaper, a powerful beast who was rumored to being able to control said creatures. Qrow remembered the day he made the scythe; how Raven, his classmates, his teacher and he, went to the dragon graveyard in order to pick out a bone or claw. Sadly, his faithful companion now lay shattered thanks to the last mission that involved a dragon, but thanks to it he managed to obtain a more than decent replacement from the dragon he faced back there, he remembered how he returned barely alive and carrying a masive black claw. And now, with all the irony in the world, Qrow wielded a new scythe called…

"Acnologia…its name is Acnologia"

* * *

><p>*It's confirmed, Qrow is a scythe wielder, but since I get the feeling that it will take a loooong time to reveal the scythe's name, let's call it Grimm Reaper for now.<p> 


	5. Author's Note

**I'm not going to update in a very loooong time (school sucks I know). But I've been getting a lot of inspiration on my last days of freedom so here's a little "clip collection" (dafaq did I just say)**

* * *

><p>"Umm…Guys? What number follows after seven?" Jaune whined. Facing at the opposite direction of his teammates.<p>

"Obviously eight you dunce" Weiss rolled her eyes in an irritated manner.

Pyrrha sighed and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Why the question Jaune?" She asked gently.

"Oh… y-you k-know" he stuttered. "Just to make sure that I'm not going crazy and there is actually an eight Dragon right behind us"

All seven Hunters turned around abruptly just to be met by a pair of giant burning red eyes framed by a bony structure. The creature was, with no doubts, a dragon. His giant body was covered in pitch black scales with white bone spines sticking out of his spine and tick bone plaques covering any sight of a possible weak spot. Both Dragon and Hunters remained still as statues. As if waiting for someone to make the first move. Slowly, the Dragon raised his long, almost graceful, neck and unleashed a powerful roar.

The sound was ear-blasting, so much that they found the need to cover their ears. Blake felt something warm trickling down her head. She touched one of her cat ears with a hand and saw blood on her fingers.

"Great! Now what!?" Yang yelled.

* * *

><p>"Why do we always end up together on missions like this?" Emerald sighed.<p>

"Dunno, maybe is a signal" Mercury giggled as he wrapped an arm around the girl's waist.

"Yeah, keep your signals to yourself" the girl hissed, punching him on the shoulder. Emerald made her way through the rubbish that once was the Magic Council; dust, ashes and blood spattered the floor and things like parchment and books were being spread by the wind. It was indeed a tragedy, but neither Emerald nor Mercury had the time or the emotions to really care about it.

"Seriously. Why do we have to bust her out?" She asked irritated. "I thought she could teleport, create illusions and shit. How come she hasn't escaped yet?"

"Remember, everything was supposed to be a set up, Roman let himself to be captured by the Hunters" Mercury stated. "And the Magic Council thought of her as top dangerous, so she ended up here with inhibitor chains and everything"

They ventured on the hallways of the underground level. There were thousands and thousands of cells and rooms, Mercury though it would take hours to find her cell until they saw it…

The sign read: 000000. And Emerald swore it was the most terrifying sight she ever witnessed. There were no bricks or bars as expected from a prison cell, instead, the walls consisted on crystal panels which allowed them to see everything on the inside. A small feminine figure tied with heavy white chains at the middle of the room, her skin had an unhealthy pale tone, her dark brown and light pink hair was long and tangled, her eyes were covered by a metal blindfold and her mouth was an emotionless paper thin line.

"Step aside" Mercury warned raising his leg, the boot's barrel rolling, ready to shot. Emerald found shelter at a nearby brick wall.

CLASH!

The girl peeked from her hiding spot to find thousands of shattered glass pieces scattered all over the floor and Mercury standing in the middle of the sea of crystals with a few fresh cuts. The two entered the cell. At a corner there was a pink laced umbrella encased in a glass cabinet. Emerald fired with her pistol, breaking the panel and retrieving the content.

Mercury approached the chained girl and pulled a white key from his pocket. After freeing her hands and feet, the girl fell to her knees, still expressionless. Mercury unfastened the metal blindfold to reveal a pair of big milky white eyes. Emerald handed her the umbrella, the girl blinked in surprise in an almost childish manner, her left eye turned into a light shade of strawberry pink while her right one became the color of rich milk chocolate.

"We're busting you out" Emerald said, trying as best as she could to ignore the creepy "eye thing" the girl just did. It was one of the many scary things she hated about Neo. "Hurry up we don't have the whole day"

Neo took the umbrella with hesitant hands, and suddenly, as if she had remembered something out of the blue, she smiled mockingly at them as she jumped backwards to disappear into thin air.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" Emerald grunted. "Uhg! I hate that freak!"

"Shh! Someone's coming" Mercury whispered loudly grabbing Emerlad's hand to seek a hiding spot.

They heard the sound of loud steps echoing in the hallway as they hid as best as they could, founding the brick walls to be useful for the task. Emerald caught a glimpse of the visitor. A young man with a set of scars on hif forehead. His clothes, even though there were tattered, gave him up as a council member, a variety of fresh wounds with blood still oozing out of the cuts covered his entire body, she also notices a slight limp but he didn't seem to care as he headed with decisive step towards cell #100977.

* * *

><p>Blake woke up at the sound of a loud buzz. Groggily, she tried to reach for her Scroll just to realize that her device wasn't the source of the noise.<p>

"Yang, turn that off, please" she said in a husky voice, and to no avail since she kept listening to the annoying sound. "Yang?"

Blake was met once again by a buzzing sound. She stood from her bed, stumbling thanks to her still-asleep state.

"Yang, wake up, your Scroll is…" To Blake's surprise the blonde's bed was empty. The only thing that rested on the mattress was a tangle of sheets, Yang's Scroll that was already silent, and a neatly folded piece of yellow paper.

The girl took the note; there was no doubt, it was definitely Yang's writing.

And so her heart stopped, her hand reached her mouth, her eyes slowly filled with tears as she read each word twice.

"_I'm sorry, but I'm leaving to a place where prayers are heard"_

_-Y_

* * *

><p>Sting thought it was time to finally take some rest. After swimming for a few hours on the new Sabertooth's pool , and spending the rest of the day looking for and eventually following Frosch, he thought it was time to chill. But of course, the day wasn't over yet, so getting a call from Ruby at 11:45 wasn't strange at all.<p>

He was getting used to the Scroll Ruby and Yang gave him as a gift, but he had to admit that is was really cool, specially the holographic part. Whit a press of a button, the projection of a fifteen-year-old-girl appeared in front of his face. Sting was already familiar with her features; short dark red hair, pale peachy skin, and big twinkling silver eyes which were red and puffy as if she had been crying.

"Hey Ruby!" he said, waving a hand. He stopped as he noticed the sad look on the girl's face. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I´m fine" the girl said between sniffs. "It's Yang you should worry about"

"What happened? Is she hurt?" he asked. Suddenly the girl broke into sobs. "Ruby calm down, talk to me"

"She…she…left us" the girl managed to say. "She left us to join Oración Seis"

Sting's blood went cold.

"A-are you sure?" he asked, dumbfounded. "I mean how do you know?"

Ruby wiped her tears with her sleeve as best as she could and tried to peak in a clear voice.

"She left us a note" the girl showed him the yellow piece of paper. "It says: "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving to a place where prayers are heard", at first we didn't knew what she meant, but we talked to a friend of hers and he told us that she had been asking about the Oración Seis's whereabouts"

"But why would she leave? This doesn't make sense, Yang would never abandon you guys" Sting ran a hand through his hair. "Do you know where she is? I mean where are the Oración Seis right now?

"We don´t know" Ruby sniffed. "We just know that they were released from prison"

"What!? How!?"

"The Magic Council was destroyed, no survivors, Roman's henchmen is also gone."

"The umbrella girl? That can't be good" Sting grew worried. "Ruby do you know who did it?"

"Ozpin told us something about a Dark Guild…Tartaros I think"

Sting froze. He remembered a letter Erza had sent him a couple days ago. It was a codified message, or so he thought, since it wasn't very clear, but he managed to catch a few words; something about Minerva joining a Dark Guild. The dots started to match. Could it be…

"Ruby I think I might have somthing" The girl's eyes widened in hope. "Oración Seis is part of the Ballam Alliance; an alliance between three Dark Guilds, amongst them is Tartarus. A couple days ago Fairy Tail sent a letter telling me that Minerva had joined a Dark Guild.

"You think she joined Tartarus?"

"If she did and we find her, we might have a clue that could lead us to Oración Seis"

"Thus leading us to Yang!" squealed Ruby, her silver eyes sparkled with joy.

"If we find something we'll tell you right away" he promised.

"In the meantime the girls and I will go to Fiore, if we help you it will be easier" her voice became firm again. The feisty personality glimpsing on her gestures. "We'll see you then"

"Take care Ruby" he said.

The girl smiled gently and nodded her head.

"You too Sting"

After the call ended Sting collapsed on a nearby chair, sighing heavily.

"_You, Taiyang and Ruby are the only family I have left"_ he thought _"Yang, I promise I will get you back, even if I have to knock some sense into you"_

* * *

><p>In front of them was a girl, probably eighteen or so. Her long, messy, golden blonde hair reached her waist. She wore a cream colored top with black sleeves and collar with a strapped belt with a purple cloth as well as a black mini skirt with thigh-high stockings with an emblem on each of her legs. But what caught everyone's attention was the set of tick golden bracelets on each of her hands.<p>

"Do you need a sixth member?" the blonde asked, not even bothering to raise her head.

The five "Demons" laughed bitterly at her.

Cobra focused and listened.

Nothing, only her heartbeat was audible. With a grunt he spat back:

"No thank you, we're already complete" he said, gesturing towards Brain who lay on a pool of his own blood, babbling nonsense and twisting in pain from Cobra's previous attack.

To their surprise, the girl didn't even flinch at the sight of a nearly-dead man. The blonde raised her hands to her shoulders acquiring a fighting position and her bracelets deployed, covering her hands and forearms; revealing to be gauntlets. They looked heavy and resistant, as well as menacing since the barrels underneath were filled with fiery red shells. The girl punched and fired from her right gauntlet. The hit landed directly in Brain's head; blood and bits of gray matter splashing the dirt. And suddenly he became quiet. No whispers, no thoughts, no breathing, no heartbeat. He was finally quiet.

Dead

"I said: Do you need a sixth member?" the girl repeated with a growl as she revealed her crimson red eyes.


End file.
